Expert Tips for Your Next Virtual Interview

Around 40 percent of people lie on their resumes. Many times, this is due to not having enough experience or the required skills. This can lead to someone elaborating to get their foot in the door. 

So, how do you ensure that the people you hire have the skills they claim they have? For your freelancers, a virtual interview is going to help you gauge the level of their skills and whether or not you’ll be able to work together well. 

Do you know what questions to ask or what to look for when interviewing? If you’re interviewing, do you know how to prepare? Keep reading as we share expert tips that will help your interview process. 

Meet Jeff From Practice Interviews

We want to start off by introducing you to Jeff. Jeff owns a company called Practice Interviews, where he works with people trying to get jobs in Big Tech companies. He currently offers three different services. 

Here’s what he has to say about his offerings, 

• “1:1 Job Interview Coaching for those looking to land jobs, mostly at Big Technology companies. Most of my clients are trying to get jobs at Google. 

• I provide 1:1 Negotiation Coaching for those looking to increase their job offers with these Big Tech companies. 

• And lastly, I have an Interview Mastery Course for those who like to prepare for their interviews by taking a course. 

I am currently working on an AI Job Interview Practice Tool that will help people practice interviews and get feedback. My audience finds me on YouTube and Linkedin.” 

His past history as a Google Recruiter uniquely qualifies him to work in this industry, and he provides many great insights. 

We asked Jeff what he likes about FreeUp, and he said, “I use FreeUp to help do exactly that, free up some of my time! I like the convenience and simplicity of the platform.” We’re glad we can help you FreeUp your time, Jeff! 

We approached Jeff and asked him for some thoughts on virtual interviews. We’ll be weaving his expert tips throughout the rest of this article. 

Preparing for a Virtual Interview

Everything begins in the preparation stage. This is the time to determine what questions you want to ask candidates. This should include a variety of questions. 

We have a variety of resources to help you with knowing what to look for and what to ask. However, AI is another great resource when you’re preparing for a video interview. It’s also a resource that Jeff highly encourages people who are preparing to be interviewed use! 

Simply plug in a prompt to Chat GPT, and it will come up with a list of questions you can ask during your interview. 

As an interviewer, this resource can help you plan the questions you want to ask. As an interviewee, it will give you practice questions to use as you prep. 

This leads us to our next point. 

Know What Questions You Want to Ask 

You have a limited amount of time. We get that. Asking the right questions is important, but you also don’t want to ask too many. 

To help hone in on what to ask, we have some great advice from Jeff, 

“Validate people’s skills by asking them what they have done in the past and “how” they would tackle certain scenarios. Also, make sure they have done their research on your business. Lastly, learn more about your potential Freelancer to learn more about the types of projects they like working on that might be outside of the scope of your needs and or the information they provided in their profile.”

Essentially, you want to spend some time getting to know the candidate, but you should also ask questions that allow you to evaluate their skills. There are many types of interview questions, but we want to hone in on two types today. 

Behavioral Questions

Tell me about a time when you made a mistake and how you handled it. This is what is known as a behavioral question. 

It allows you to gauge how the person has responded to various situations in the past. This can help you determine how they may respond in the future. 

Competency Questions 

Competency questions allow you to gauge whether or not the person has the skills and qualifications to fulfill the role. This could include something like, “Tell me what steps you would take to complete this task.” 

Questions like this will help you gauge whether or not the candidate actually has the skills they claim they have. It can also help you decide between candidates based on their ability to communicate the steps they would take. 

Bonus Tip for Freelancers Interviewing

How do you prepare for these questions? Think about the skills needed for the job. You’ll want to use real-life examples of times you used those skills. 

When you answer the question, make sure to use a method that Jeff commonly recommends for people interviewing for Big Tech, the STAR method (it will help you stand out as a star!). 

STAR stands for: 

• Situation 
• Task 
• Actions 
• Result

This method will help you organize your answers so they are clear. 

For Freelancers: The Dreaded “Do You Have Any Questions for Me” Question

It often feels inevitable. You get to the end of the interview, and the client wants to know if you have questions for them. 

Do you ever wonder what to ask? Well, Jeff has a great tip for you, 

“Interviewers spend too much time asking about items that impact them. I would ask the interviewer more about them! What do they love about the company, the job, what they are working on, etc? If the last thing they talk about is themselves, they will end up liking you more.”

On average, people spend 60% of a conversation talking about themselves! So, create an opportunity for your potential clients to have that moment. It will stick with them.

Best Practices for Conducting a Virtual Interview

We’ve talked about the basics, but now it’s time to hop into a few more quick tips! These tips will help as you dive into interviewing.

Freelancers, keep reading; many of these tips will be useful for you as well! 

To Camera or Not to Camera 

Not many people actually enjoy being on camera. However, during a virtual interview it can help you catch the nonverbals that you would miss during a regular call. 

It’s a good idea to turn on cameras for at least the initial call to connect with your potential freelancer.

Pay Attention to Where You Set Up 

Your surroundings matter during the interview. You don’t want to be interrupted by kids or dogs. Things happen, but it can be a distraction. 

Make sure that your surroundings are carefully curated and professional. According to Jeff, there are three very important things when it comes to his, “good WiFi, good lighting, and a clean background.” 

Use a Cheat Sheet 

Whether you’re interviewing or the interviewee, virtual interviews have a distinct advantage! You can have a cheat sheet nearby. 

Did you take notes about questions or things you’re looking for? Grab a sticky note and put them on your computer so they’re in your eye line while you’re talking. 

Jeff says, “Use a cheat sheet, take advantage of the fact that you are interviewing from home, and create a one-pager with all the necessary information that will help you have success in the interview.”

Use FreeUp’s Interview Service

If you don’t have the time or desire to conduct the interviews yourself, you don’t have to. Here at FreeUp, we offer an interview service. We’ll interview the freelancers you choose and send you a video of the recording. 

All you need to do is fill out a form to let us know who you want to interview and any specific questions you would like us to ask. We already have a list of general questions we use! If you’re interested in using this service, contact your account manager or our support team to get started.  

Find Your Perfect Freelancer 

Interviewing can seem scary if you’ve never done it before. However, with some preparation and practice, your virtual interview can help you find the right freelancer for your company. 

Are you ready to find your perfect freelancer? Schedule a meeting with one of our account managers to get started.